Autumn Song
by Enkida
Summary: Oneshot sequel to “Growth” Yuffie and Vincent work out the kinks in their relationship. COMPLETE


**DISCLAIMER** – FF7 and all its components still belong to Square Enix; I'm only personally profiting from reader reviews (Please! Please leave them! I beg of you, tell me what you think of this story!), and still blatantly stealing and plagiarizing from the original work.

_**AN** - I left a huge mother of a plot hole in "Growth," so here's my one-shot attempt to patch that up. As a warning, if you haven't read the original story you probably won't find this one very interesting or logical. Trust me, it makes sense in the long run. Er. At least to me. Anyway, hope you enjoy!_

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**Autumn Song**

Vincent woke with a start. For a moment the darkness in the room was disorienting; his senses were instantly alert, searching for signs of danger. A soft murmur and a warmth by his side caused his body to relax slowly. This was not the northern crater; he was in Cosmo Canyon, resting safely and soundly in a real bed with his lover. As he regarded the sleeping girl beside him, his features softened slightly. No… their underground adventures seemed more like a distant dream now. _Perhaps I am still dreaming_, Vincent thought as he studied the lines of the young ninja's features, peaceful in her deep sleep. _If so, by whatever gods might exist, please don't allow me to wake._ Drawing his arm more tightly around Yuffie, he mulled over the events that had led to his current state.

… … …

"We're going to have to close off the bathing springs for weeks," Nanaki grumbled irritably as he paced alongside Vincent. "For being so scornful of humans, the Gi certainly aren't reluctant to take advantage of their resources."

Vincent shrugged slightly. "I can't blame them," he said to the lion. Returning to the Canyon was the antithesis of living in the crater, so the antics of the bedraggled pride were hardly surprising to him. Cleanliness was, in Vincent's opinion, a bonus to living in Cosmo Canyon, not a necessity. Besides which, the trio had already bathed in what Yuffie termed her "private resort spring." The actual cleaning had been a wholly unromantic experience, particularly when Nanaki asked Yuffie to soap the inside of his large ears. Despite this, his eyes had lingered on the delicate curve of Yuffie's shoulder while her back was turned towards him. The memory of the tiny warrior, caught intimately with her guard down, flushed his body with warmth and spurred him to make his request.

"Nanaki. I want to share a room with Yuffie."

"Of course, Vincent," the cat sniffed. "It's already been taken care of, Eldar Bugah's offered to give you the old guest quarters—" Vincent stopped, causing Nanaki to also halt and look up at the gunman questioningly.

"One room. With one bed."

This gave the giant lion pause as he scrutinized his friend. Finally, he spoke. "Have you asked Yuffie about this yet, Vincent?" His tone was even, but Vincent could sense the slight touch of caution and disapproval beneath Nanaki's bland question. The gunman felt a mild sense of annoyance rise within him. "She's a grown woman, Nanaki, she can make her own decisions."

Nanaki wuffled and did his best impression of a human shrug. "**_I_** know that, Vincent. I wanted to make sure that you did as well." His tail flicked uncertainly, and then he gave the gunman a curt nod. "Very well. Just… be careful, Vincent. It might not be prudent to move too quickly."

_Move too quickly? I have been frozen for five years._ Vincent smiled ruefully before he spoke. "Thank you for your concern, Nanaki. I won't force her to do anything she doesn't want to."

Nanaki's rumbling laughter surprised him as they resumed their pace. "It isn't as though you could anyway, Vincent," the cat added.

He had run into Yuffie that evening, when she finally managed to tear herself away from the Gi cubs. "Oh man, Vince, am I bushed!" she yelled at him, running her fingers wearily through her hair. "I swear, I could just—" Her weary complaints stopped as she eyed the room she had stepped into. The sound of the door shutting softly behind her made the ninja spin around quickly and jump in surprise. "Hey, uh, Vince, there's only one bed in here," she began nervously.

"I know," he murmured as he advanced on her, placing his hands on her waist. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against her neck, causing Yuffie to squeak. Vincent held on for a moment longer, but something was amiss. Her body was tense, filled with nervous energy, and she was frozen in place. "Yuffie," he finally said, pulling away from her. "What's wrong?"

Yuffie forced herself to meet his eyes, her cheeks flaming. "Well, um.. it's just… you… and me… and one bed!" she sputtered with a futile gesture towards the offending object.

Vincent cursed silently and dropped his chin onto Yuffie's head. _I won't make the same mistake twice,_ he promised himself. "I just want to be close to you, Yuffie. Nothing has to happen tonight." Although his body thrummed in protest to his words, years of iron-willed training forged from battles against his own inner demons held him in check. "May I stay with you?"

The blush faded from Yuffie's cheeks, and she gave Vincent a hesitant smile. "Um… well, it is kinda weird. Godo would kill me!" she giggled. "Okay. But any funny business and you're gonna get a lesson in hand-to-hand combat!" she warned him with a smile.

Reluctantly, Vincent released her and sat on the edge of the bed, unclasping his cloak and pulling off his boots. He watched from the corner of his eye as Yuffie also began to undress, kicking off her sneakers and pulling off her socks. Then his eyebrow raised as she fidgeted and pulled her knees up to her chin. Pausing, he turned to look at her. "What is it?" he asked.

Yuffie grimaced slightly. "Uh… well… do you think you could sorta turn out the lights before I … well, you know," she mumbled, staring at her toes.

Vincent frowned slightly, watching her squirm in discomfort. _What is she hiding now? _"No, I don't know," he told her. "I've seen you naked before, Yuffie."

"That doesn't count!" she flared up at him. "We were only bathing, and Nanaki was there too. It's different now!" Her face reddened with each word, and finally she buried it between her knees with an embarrassed moan. Her breath caught as she felt the tug of his fingers gently pulling up her chin.

"You looked beautiful then, and you still do," Vincent said to her carefully. "Do you trust me?" He held himself motionless, waiting for her answer.

"Oh gawd… it's not like that, Vince," she finally said, the blush on her cheeks dying down. "It's just… well, you may think I'm beautiful now. But… but…" She closed her eyes and swallowed. "I've never been much of a girl anyway… and then the mako…" She suddenly realized she was trembling, and bit her lip nervously when Vincent didn't immediately reply. A soft rustling made her eyes open and widen in surprise. The gunman had moved to her side of the bed, and stood before her removing his shirt. At first she was torn between the guilty desire to drink in the sight of his finely muscled torso and the urge to run screaming from the room while calling him a pervert. Those demands were quashed as he kneeled before her. Her eyes were drawn to the brass claw, attached to his arm just below the joint of his elbow. "What are you doing?" she asked him breathlessly.

Vincent said nothing, only narrowed his own eyes and drew his fingers over the complex mechanisms of the appendage. Finally, there was a click and a hiss, and the brass limb separated itself completely from his body. He cradled it carefully with his good arm, regarding the dull glint of the metal with cold dispassion. "Hojo did this to me," he murmured. "I was torn apart, rebuilt piece by piece. It is …" The gunman struggled for words. "… an _experience_ … I don't wish to remember. But I must, every day." He didn't look up, though he could feel Yuffie's eyes travelling over the stub of his arm and forced himself not to flinch. "We are more than the sum of our parts, Yuffie. I have to believe this. I wouldn't survive if I didn't." Silence filled the room, and he moved to reattach the metal claw to his forearm. A tentative hand reached out and stopped him, gently pulling the appendage out of his grasp.

"You don't have to wear that tonight," came her quiet voice, apologetic and understanding. Yuffie carefully laid the claw against the floor, and then reached for him. She pulled the stub of his arm to her face and kissed it lightly. "Vincent Valentine, clawed or not, you're still the most mysterious, handsome man I've ever laid eyes on," she told him with a tiny grin. Suddenly Vincent found her shy smile and sparkling eyes to be unbearably tantalizing. He leaned in and covered her mouth with his own, surprised when she answered with her own hungry, desperate kiss.

In their sudden and unexpected haste, they both forgot to dim the lights. It was only many hours later as they lay together in bed that the candle finally spluttered out, cloaking the room in darkness.

------------- _some months later_ -------------------

Yuffie squinted and rubbed her eyes. "Ugh, I feel like I've been working on this thing forever!" she complained as she yawned and stretched. A few boxes of materia and a huge stack of papers stood on the table before her, almost as if to mock her with the enormity of the work. "I am never making a bet with Nanaki again," she mumbled, pushing her chair back and standing up.

"Giving up so soon?" came an amused reply.

Yuffie jumped and peered into the corner. "Vince! Gawd, don't scare me like that. I didn't hear you come in!" she said, attempting to punch him in the arm lightly. He deftly caught her wrist and spun her around, dangling her perilously over the floor in his arms. "Don't drop me! Don't drop me! You win, I give up!" she screamed in mock-terror, though a delighted smile was spread across her face.

"Smart woman," Vincent quipped as he set her back on her feet. "Are you finished for today?"

Yuffie gave him an emphatic nod as she gathered her papers together and carefully filed the materia away. "Yeah, my fingers are gonna fall off if I write anymore," she said. "So what's up? You never come in here when I'm working. I can tell you're planning something!"

The gunman only nodded at her and led her towards the doorway. Despite their comfortable relationship and Vincent's ongoing resocialization, Yuffie still did the bulk of the talking. There were times when he found his natural reticence useful for teasing the girl; now was one of those moments, as she pouted her way down the steps and out of the village. He finally relented when they had passed the first canyon wall.

"You know if the wind blows, your face will freeze like that," he said as they crested the hillside.

Yuffie's eyebrows raised as she marched behind him. "You know how you could turn this frown upside down, Vince!" she grumbled. Then she broke into laughter as he swept her into his arms and gave her another dip, followed by a deep kiss. "Besides that!" she gasped, when her lips were once again her own.

Vincent released her and began to climb down the slope. "There's something I wanted to tell you," he said. "It's serious."

Yuffie bounded up beside him, grabbing onto his clawed arm and clutching it tightly. "Hey Vince, are you dragging me all the way outta here just to make some cheesy on-your-knees proposal thing? You know I don't care about that kinda stuff!" she complained.

"Ever the romantic," he told her with a slight sigh. "No, Yuffie. This is something different." He paused as they came across the small crack he had been searching for. "In here," he commanded, before ducking down and crawling through the tight pass.

Yuffie put her hands on her hips, watching his retreating form with pursed lips. "You mean you're not gonna propose to me yet? Geez! Now who's lacking the romantic imagination here, huh?" she yelled after him, before getting down on her knees and following. Mentally, she corrected herself as she exited the cramped passage, revealing a small but beautiful materia cavern. "Wow…" she breathed as the crystals came to life, resonating around them. "It's incredible, Vince!" A few stray rays of sunlight shone in through the dense foliage overhead. "I can't believe I missed this one!" she murmured.

"I heard the song from outside," he told her as he seated himself on the rough ground. "The passage wasn't always there. I had to widen it to get in."

Yuffie nodded, slowly pulling herself up onto a small outcropping. She let her legs dangle over the side, swinging them around as she absorbed the beauty of the surrounding crystals. "It's really something, Vincent," she whispered, closing her eyes. "The song… it's so clear here." Laughter bubbled up in her throat, and as it escaped from her mouth the materia began to hum.

"This materia is very responsive to sound," Vincent noted as he watched her.

"You can hear it, can't you, Vincent?" she sighed, a delighted smile crossing her face. "The planet singing to us."

The sudden coursing of emotion through his body constricted his throat as he watched Yuffie toss her head back and close her eyes. _Time,_ his heart wept. _Please, stop. Let this moment last forever._

Yuffie opened her eyes, feeling Vincent's stare. "Huh? Something wrong?" she asked him with a concerned smile.

_I don't want this to end…_ he thought reluctantly. Then, steeling himself, Vincent forced the words from his mouth. "I need to tell you about Lucretia, Yuffie."

The smile dropped from Yuffie's face, and her legs stopped swinging. "What about her?" she asked cautiously. Sensing his inner struggle, she tried to help. "I know you loved her, Vince. I mean, that's okay. She's gone now, right? It's the past. I wasn't even born then!" The young ninja inwardly cursed as the crude words tumbled from her mouth. _Score one massive defeat for the Great Ninja Yuffie,_ she thought sourly.

Vincent's quiet voice interrupted her fumbling attempts at conversation. "Yuffie… I did love her." This caused a pregnant silence to fall, filled only by the lilting song of the materia.

"Well, you love me now, and I love you back, so that's that," Yuffie said finally, knitting her brows together. _Why did Vincent take me all the way here just to say that?_ she wondered privately.

"Yuffie. I _loved_ her." He waited. Seeing the confusion on her face, he sighed, and wished he hadn't gotten rid of his cloak. "We had … relations."

Yuffie's face suddenly brightened, and then turned red with embarrassment. "Uh, well, that's… uh, great, Vince." Curiosity overcame her. "She wasn't better than me, was she?" she squeaked nervously.

If Vincent hadn't been so preoccupied, he might have allowed himself to smile at Yuffie's endearing moment of self-doubt. "That's not what I meant," he said wearily. "We had a son."

This caused a definite reaction. The materia hummed almost painfully as Yuffie's cry bit through the air. "WHAT?"

"Yuffie-"

"YOU HAD A WHAT?"

Vincent winced.

"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

The materia in the cavern had still not shattered. It was going better than he expected. "Yuffie, please calm down. Do you remember when we fought Hojo?"

Yuffie wasn't listening to him. As usual, her anger had taken root, and refused to let her go until it spilled out of her mouth, for better or for worse. "CALM DOWN! Listen mister, you just tell me you had a son and then you tell me to calm down? Didn't you think I might like to know that tiny little detail before we took it this far, huh? And what does Hojo have to do with this? I thought Lucretia was his wife! And that's another thing about her, who in their right mind would have slept with that--" As abruptly as her tirade started, it ended.

Vincent shifted uncomfortably as the crystalline music fell back into a soft, soothing volume. "Yuffie," he tried again.

The ninja had dropped her head, falling silent as she absorbed the new information. When she did look up again, her eyes were clouded and a wane smile crossed her face. "'S a good thing you didn't tell Cloud," she mumbled quietly, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Mighta Omnislashed you into little Vincent bits."

Vincent remained seated, watching Yuffie carefully. "I wouldn't care what Cloud thought. It's you I'm worried about." He waited for her response, his heart clenching painfully in his chest as she stood up unsteadily and made her way towards the passage. "Yuffie, please…" his voice died in his throat as she sunk to her knees.

"He killed my mom." She blinked, her eyes glowing in the dusky light. "Before he went all psycho-Jenova. When he was still… you know… sorta normal." Her voice shook slightly, but she refused to cry. "He killed my _mother_, Vincent!" she hissed, anger and sadness warring across her face.

The sins of his past rose around them like specters. How many operatives had he trained personally to send into Wutai? How many lives had he taken? Was it so surprising that his own son would be bathed in the blood he himself had first spilled? Vincent closed his eyes. _This precious little joy I've managed to find… couldn't I be allowed to keep even that?_ "Forgive me," he said to her.

Yuffie scowled at Vincent, suddenly feeling very tired. "You're not him," she said resignedly. "Don't apologize for things that aren't your fault, Vince."

A flicker of hope crossed his face, but Yuffie shook her head as he moved to join her. "No, Vince. I know it's not your fault, but… I need some time, ok?" She smiled weakly at him. "You sure know how to give a girl a lot to think about."

He wanted to reach out for her, to stop her from leaving, but she was already gone, squeezing herself through the tiny passage. Vincent closed his eyes, allowing the gentle song of the materia to wash through him. _Did I do the right thing?_ In his heart, he knew he would have done it again anyway. Yuffie was too important to him; better no lies stood between them. But it was only a small comfort, one that didn't take away the chill of the wind or the empty echos of the cavern as he sat alone, waiting for twilight to fall.

… … …

Yuffie kicked at the dusty ground, shivering as the wind whistled around her. _One of these days, gonna get me a shirt with a midriff_, she thought with annoyance to herself. The sound of crunching rock made her stiffen.

"Yuffie?"

She relaxed, not bothering to turn around and greet her companion. "Heya. Why'd you come all the way out here?"

"I was worried." Nanaki seated himself next to her, shielding her huddling form from the wind with his furry red bulk. "Neither you nor Vincent returned from your afternoon walk."

Yuffie smirked, ruffling Nanaki's hair affectionately. "So, why'd you come after us? For all you know, we could've been skinny dipping in the river!" she joked.

Nanaki rumbled and butted her shoulder with his forehead. "I could sense something was wrong. I know you both too well." He sighed as Yuffie buried her face into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Yes. I don't know!" Yuffie replied, squeezing her eyes shut. "How do you do it, Red?"

This caused the lion to wuffle curiously. "Do what?"

"Live with them. Accept them. Borah's dad killed your father, didn't he? How come you're so nice to them?" He fingers tightened around his fur almost painfully as she spoke, and Nanaki nudged her away gently with his nose.

"It's something I deal with day by day," he rumbled to her. "I could spend my time being angry at them, but you can see what it brought to their tribe." He regarded her curiously. "If I have to chose between living for the past or living for the future, I'd rather move forward."

Yuffie wrapped her arms around her legs and shivered. "That's easy for you to say," she muttered.

Nanaki's ears flattened against his head. "No, it's not," he corrected her with a disapproving growl. "But there's no point in dwelling on things we can't change. Why did you ask me this?" His growl deepened disapprovingly as she turned away. "Yuffie. Speak."

The ninja scowled and let out a heavy sigh. "It's Vincent, all right? Someone in his family… took something very important away from me," she managed bitterly. "Something I can't steal back."

"He told you this?" Nanaki said quietly. Seeing her nod slightly, he flicked his tail and lowered his head. "Vincent keeps a lot to himself, Yuffie. But he told you because he loves you. Did you consider that he might also be suffering?"

Yuffie didn't answer, letting her eyes wander back over the vast emptiness of the canyon. "I know he's not a saint, Nanaki," she said quietly. "I didn't expect that, I don't need him to be perfect. But this thing… the Shinra… they destroyed us, Nanaki! They took everything. Our leader, our pride, our hope! How can you just forgive that?"

Nanaki shook his head, causing his shaggy mane to brush her shoulders. "Not hope. You're proof enough of that, Yuffie." He sighed at the young ninja and leaned back on his haunches, staring at the bright moon overhead. "You're like me, Yuffie. You know you have to lead your people soon. You will _be_ Wutai. You brought your country hope, and now it's your duty to bring them healing."

The wind blew softly, and Yuffie shivered involuntarily. _Duty. Pride. Responsibility. Honour. Anger. Forgiveness._ The words were dancing around each other in a mad waltz inside of her head, and all she wanted to do was scream and let them out.

"Vincent has already left the shadows of his past. Don't you think it's your turn now?" Nanaki's voice cut through her miserable confusion, and one word stood out clearly.

"Vincent." _I love Vincent. Maybe… it doesn't have to be so hard. Oh mama. I wish you were here._ "Godo's gonna blow his top when he finds out," she mumbled. "I might actually understand the old fart for once," she added wryly.

"Godo won't be ruling Wutai when you return. I take it you've decided what you are going to do?" Nanaki asked her amusedly.

Yuffie smiled, some of her energy returning as she stretched and cracked her back. "Guess I always sorta knew it. Just didn't want to see," she said simply, standing. "Vincent never came back, huh Red?" Seeing the cat nod, she started down the hillside. "I think I know where to find him."

… … …

He hadn't moved since she had left. It was almost too much for him to hope that she might return. Vincent wasn't sure what he would have done if she hadn't come back, and was thankful that he wouldn't have to find out. There was a slight rustle and she stood before him, in all her boyish glory, bathed in the crystalline reflections of mako and moonlight. He looked up at her, his eyes silently questioning, still guarded against a possible onslaught. Yuffie dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck, and something that he hadn't realized that was tightly wound inside of his chest released. His breath left him with an audible sigh, and he brought his arms around her.

"You're a real trooper, Vince," she said eventually, when she trusted her voice enough to speak. "You already lost Lucretia and Sephiroth. Don'tcha worry about me, I'm not going anywhere," she said lightly, trembling in his arms. It cost the ninja more than she would ever admit to anyone. But it was worth it, she reflected, as his arms tightened around her. "I think my mom would've been happy. Full circle and all." She realized she was babbling, but she didn't care. "I'll make them see you, Vincent. You're not him. You're not Shinra. You're Vincent Valentine, and I love you." She felt his forehead come to rest atop her hair, and smiled slightly. "We'll have to go back to Wutai and tell Godo. Maybe I'll grow my hair out when we get there," she added as an afterthought.

Vincent finally spoke, his breath warm as his lips moved against her skin. "You don't have to change for me, Yuffie."

She smiled against him. "Wouldn't be for you, dummy."

… … …

The departure from Cosmo Canyon came two months later, and was accompanied by tearful farewells on all sides. The Gi had long since left the settlement, strong enough once again to support themselves. That didn't prevent Kikacha from returning to the village after hearing the news from Nanaki. Much to the dismay of his tribe, the little cub couldn't bring himself not to see off his "ward" one final time.

"Are you ever gonna come back, Yuffie?" he asked her, his eyes suspiciously large and bright. Yuffie laughed and scooped the child into her arms, blowing messily into his belly. This caused the usual snort of protest and giggles as the cub squirmed in her arms.

"I dunno, runt," she said, tickling under his chin. "What're you worried for anyway? You're gonna have your paws full helping Nanaki protect the tribe now, aren't you?" The cub finally tired of her attention and squirmed out of her arms impatiently.

"Yeah!" he yelled, his eyes flashing with pride and determination as his tail lashed back and forth. "I'm gonna protect the whole planet just like Nanaki does!" he roared. Or rather squeaked, but it was a good effort considering the size of his lungs.

Yuffie felt tears pricking at the edge of her eyes and blinked them back quickly. "Yeah," she told the kit, smiling broadly at him. "You better tell him that someday, Kikacha. Promise? I'll make you an honoured warrior of Wutai if you do," she said, completely serious. This only puffed the small cub up with even more pride as he nodded vigorously. She watched as the kit zipped off to share the news with the other human "wards" he had adopted during his time in the village, and sniffed again as she felt Vincent's arm circle her waist comfortingly.

"You're going to miss him," came Nanaki's low rumble as he entered the room. "He's a good child, one day he'll make a mighty warrior." He was cut off as Yuffie threw her arms around his neck.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Red!" she sobbed, gripping his fur tightly. The giant lion closed his eye and allowed her to mangle his thickening mane with his usual grace and patience.

"As will I," he rumbled, licking at her cheek. As she stood up to wipe her eyes, he turned his eye to the silent gunman beside her. "I will miss both of you."

Vincent kneeled down and met Nanaki's golden gaze. "Your wisdom has been an invaluable guide," he told the lion. "But your friendship moreso." They exchanged their silent regards, and Nanaki dipped his head slightly as Vincent stood once more.

Cid's voice interrupted their farewell. "§#§", you guys like your $&#§!§ long goodbyes!" he grumbled as he strode into the room, his cigarette tightly clenched between his teeth as ever. "Not like you idiots are never gonna see each other again. Not as long as I'm flyin' the Highwind." His smile quickly dropped into a scowl as he thumbed over his shoulder impatiently. "Now git a move on, the jets have been runnin' for ten §!§#§" minutes!" he growled.

"Jets?!" came Yuffie's panicked yell. "Wait a sec, I don't think I need to go back to Wutai just yet. Vince? Nanaki? Aww, c'mon, guys!!!"

* * *

… … …

* * *

The autumn leaves were falling, their golds and russets and ochres creating a swirling carpet over the earth. Many years had passed since the Kisaragi clan had transformed Wutai from the simple tourist town into a true world power, on par with the Reeve Technology Corporation and the Corel-based energy conglomerate. Yuffie no longer sat at the helm, trusting that her children would not run the country into complete and total chaos, though she did occasionally insert her impetuous commentary when she felt the slight touches of chaos were becoming too obvious.

More often, though, she had been tired. A sense of accomplishment filled her as she looked down on the bustling city from the heights of the Da Chao. These days, she needed Vincent's help to make it up the mountainside. Sighing, she leaned back into the familiar warmth of his arms, allowing him to brush the sweep of grey hair away from her neck. "We did good, didn't we, Vince?" she said to him, satisfaction creeping into her voice.

"You did well," Vincent corrected her gently, his voice and features untouched by the passage of time. He cradled her in his arms gently, savoring the moment as a light breeze stirred the leaves into swirling patterns.

They remained there in silence, watching the sun lower across the mountains. Finally, Yuffie stirred slightly. "Thank you, Vincent," she mumbled, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

He smiled and placed a tender kiss on top of her head. For once the desperate cries of his heart seemed to be heard, as time slowed to a standstill and the breeze died down. The afternoon sunlight framed the two lovers with its golden kiss, and a quiet peace rose around them.

A moment and a lifetime later, the breeze blew once more, separating the last of the autumn leaves from their branches with a gentle sigh.

… … …

Vincent had already said his farewell to Nanaki, who only nodded in understanding and allowed him to leave. It had been harder with his own son. The boy took after Yuffie; he had hidden the urn in protest before finally relenting. It was wrong to call him a boy, though. Already he looked older than Vincent himself, and continued the clan with two children of his own. The littlest one had Yuffie's eyes. It was the silent goodbye to his grandchildren that pained Vincent the most before he left Wutai, kissing their foreheads as they slept. But, as he stood reflecting over the vast expanse of the Canyon, no parent should have to outlive their children. Once had been more than enough.

He opened the urn and spread the ashes over the canyon in a wide arc, watching the breeze carry them away. _Give your greetings to the others,_ he bid her silently as she drifted away. He unwrapped the worn and tattered bandanna from his head and let it flutter over the canyon's edge. _I'll join you when I can._

As he entered the materia cave, a great weariness overtook Vincent. He thought he saw Yuffie, sitting on the ledge, her head tilted back and her legs swinging. He climbed onto the rocky outcrop and joined her, leaning back and closing his eyes with a half-smile.

"_You can hear it, can't you, Vincent? The planet singing to us."_

**- fin -**


End file.
